After a thrilling end to group stage, the last teams left in the UEFA Champions League await their knockout fate in Monday’s draw for the round of 16. The group winners will be seeded and drawn against the unseeded runners-up as they find out their next Champions League fixtures. Here’s what to know before tuning into the draw.
How to watch
- Date: Monday, Dec. 18 | Time: 6 a.m. ET
- Location: European House of Football — Nyon, Switzerland
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Pre-draw and post-draw coverage: CBS Sports Golazo Network
Champions League round of 16 teams
Seeded teams
- Arsenal
- Atletico Madrid
- Barcelona
- Bayern Munich
- Borussia Dortmund
- Manchester City
- Real Madrid
- Real Sociedad
Unseeded teams
- Copenhagen
- Inter
- Lazio
- Napoli
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Porto
- PSV
- RB Leipzig
The no-draw list
Here’s a list of which sides the seeded teams will not be able to play in the Champions League round of 16.
- Arsenal: PSV Eindhoven
- Atletico Madrid: Lazio
- Barcelona: Porto
- Bayern Munich: Copenhagen, RB Leipzig
- Borussia Dortmund: Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig
- Manchester City: RB Leipzig
- Real Madrid: Napoli
- Real Sociedad: Inter
Unseeded teams to avoid
Without a doubt, Serie A leaders Inter and French champions PSG are the teams the seeded teams would rather not receive in Monday’s draw. The Italian side finished second on a tiebreaker in Group D and have steadily performed throughout the season, meaning a headline-grabbing round of 16 matchup could be in the cards for them. As for the Parisians, they may have been inconsistent throughout the group stage but with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Zaire-Emery, PSG boast the talent to oust any team from the competition.
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Seeded teams to worry about
The group winners did well to earn their spots, but there are a couple of teams that will likely inspire less fear from the unseeded sides than others — Dortmund and Real Sociedad. The Germans were the most solid side in a topsy-turvy Group F but have been inconsistent at times this season, which could prevent them from making a deep run in Europe. Real Sociedad, meanwhile, have treated the Champions League like a reprieve from their average campaign so far in La Liga, which could catch up to them depending on the opposition.
Leipzig’s narrow draw
Since most of the teams from the same country ended up in matching pots, most of the sides left are eligible to play each other in the round of 16. That is not exactly the case for RB Leipzig, though, who will be limited to just five opponents come Monday — Arsenal and the Spanish quartet of Atleti, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Real Sociedad.